Deadbeat Illinois: Payment delays force schools office to borrow

PEORIA — The state of Illinois is so bad on its payment of bills that when dispensing grants, some boards and agencies now ask grant applicants to prove up front that they can operate with other cash as they wait months for checks to arrive.

PEORIA — The state of Illinois is so bad on its payment of bills that when dispensing grants, some boards and agencies now ask grant applicants to prove up front that they can operate with other cash as they wait months for checks to arrive.

Such is the case with the State Board of Education’s Preschool for All grant, where money is flowing into a host of local preschools run by Crittendon Centers, the Salvation Army and others.

Some, though, can’t get the cash. As with last year, the regional office of education is working with the Peoria County Board to spot the money — some $120,000 on paper, effectively as a line of credit — so that two classrooms, teaching about 40 kids, are able to operate at Myah’s Just 4 Kids and Myah’s II Christian Learning Center.

Both are programs that cater to at-risk children from many of the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

“This is money out the door (on) day one,” Assistant Regional Superintendent Beth Derry said of the need that can’t wait for state delays. “You’ve got to pay a teacher, you can’t ask them to wait. You’ve got to buy supplies to set up the classroom.”

Last year when the county fronted the cash, the regional office was able to pay it back in full earlier than expected.

Keeping the program running is a win-win for a number of people, said Peoria County Board member Allen Mayer, who chairs the committee that reviewed the request for funds.

“I think it’s very valuable, yes, to a certain extent for the economic benefits for the business of Myah’s,” he said. “I think it’s a long-term education investment, too, in making sure some of the most at-risk children in our community get access to an education model that is proven to help their outcomes.”

It also helps because with the kids in class, then the parents of those children are able to work, Mayer said. And, Derry said, it ultimately helps the kindergarten teachers these students will have, because students without a pre-K experience have more difficulty adjusting to classroom life.

The loan passed out of a Peoria County committee unanimously, and will be considered at the board’s Sept. 12 meeting.

About this series

Reporters from GateHouse Illinois newsrooms examine the real-world effects of the state’s failure to pay its bills.

By the numbers

$4,906,568,288.66* in general fund backlog as of July 14

Page 2 of 2 - 73,953 total bills delayed

*This figure only accounts for unpaid bills received by the comptroller’s office. The figure is much higher when including bills that have been sent to state agencies, but are yet to be forwarded to the comptroller for processing.